Contents:

1. The legal system -- 2. Midwifery : professional regulation -- 3. Midwifery supervision -- 4. Professional accountability and the NMC -- 5. The midwives rules and code of practice, the code of professional conduct and the scope of professional practice -- 6. Woman-centred care -- 7. Consent -- 8. The duty to inform -- 9. Letting die and euthanasia -- 10. Confidentiality and access to records -- 11. Complaints -- 12. Teenage pregnancies -- 13. Negligence -- 14. Specific situations in negligence and civil court procedure -- 15. Record keeping, statements and report writing -- 16. Family planning and sterilisation -- 17. The status and rights of the unborn -- 18. Criminal liability -- 19. Health and safety -- 20. Medication -- 21. The structure of the NHS and the provision of hospital, community and primary care services -- 22. Employment law -- 23. The independent midwife and private maternity hospitals -- 24. Midwifery management -- 25. Criminal law and confinements -- 26. Termination of pregnancy -- 27. Legal issues relating to fertilisation, embryology and genetics -- 28. Vaccine damage payments -- 29. Infectious diseases and the midwife -- 30. Midwife teachers, clinical instructors, preceptors and mentors -- 31. Midwifery research -- 32. Child protection -- 33. Mental disorder and mental incapacity -- 34. Complementary therapies -- App. 1. Human Rights Act 1998 : schedule 1 : the articles -- App. 2. Congenital Disabilities (Civil Liability) Act 1976.

Abstract:

Written in clear, accessible language, without legal jargon, the third edition of this text includes a new chapter on the laws relating to teenage pregnancy. It also covers many of the recommendations from NICE relevant to midwifery practice and considers their legal significance.